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What Are We? A Royal Priesthood!
It is our union with Christ that makes us who we are in God's spiritual house. We are built a spiritual house, a "holy priesthood" (vs. 5), a "royal priesthood" (vs. 9). With fascinating terminology, the apostle Peter explains that those who make up God's spiritual house, the church, are both the material which makes up the building AND the priesthood.
Israel was called a "kingdom of priests" (Ex. 19:6). The subsequent development of a special priestly class came about as a result of the weakness and sins of the people. However, the goal of having a "holy nation," a "kingdom of priests" exists in the church. All Christians today are priests and serve under Christ, the great high priest (see Heb. 4:14; 10:21; 1 Cor. 3:16,17; Rev. 1:6). They constitute a "holy priesthood" (1 Pet. 2:5) in that they are sanctified and consecrated to God. All wickedness is to be put away by those who participate in this priesthood. They are also called a "royal priesthood" or "kingly priesthood" because we reign with Christ in His Kingdom (Rev. 5:10). As priests all Christians have direct access to God, they approach Him directly through Jesus Christ our mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). No man speaks to God for us, and no one comes between us and God after the manner of the Old Testament priesthood. Even though Israel was called a "kingdom of priests" there is a fundamental difference between the Israel of old and the new Israel of God.
Every Christian today is to offer his own spiritual sacrifices. Under the old law, sacrifices were temporal, carnal, dead, bloody and burned with fire (cf. Lev. 2:13; Mk. 12:49). Today the sacrifices offered by Christians are spiritual, living, clean, pure and holy. They are described as "better sacrifices" (Heb. 9:23). What are these sacrifices?
We are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Paul wrote in Rom. 12:1-3, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, (which is) your spiritual service." Further he said in 1 Cor. 6:20, "for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body."
Our faith is a sacrifice unto God. The apostle Paul also wrote, "Yea, and if I am offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all" (Phil. 2:17).
When we worship we offer up the fruit of our lips in praise to God. Hebrews 13:15?16 says, "Through him then let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased." There are also important O.T. glimpses into this truth (see Jer. 17:26; Ps. 107:22; 116:117. Col. 3:16 says that we are to "sing with grace in your hearts unto God" By virtue of these songs being "unto God", they are to be understood as sacrifices.
Our prayers also are our sacrifices. Rev 5:8 says, "And when he had taken the book, the four living creatures and the four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints."
Our contributions are our sacrifices. Paul spoke of having received a contribution brought by Epaproditus as "an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God" (Phil. 4:18).
The whole of our life of honor and love devoted to God constitutes our sacrifice. Paul wrote, "For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:6-8). Just as Christ offered himself a sacrifice for us (Eph. 5:2), Paul willingly offered himself to God.
The sacrifices of these things did not have the grander of coming to the Jewish temple and must have seemed lacking to the Jewish worshiper. However the Christian, God's priest today, understands these spiritual sacrifices, offered through Jesus Christ are "better sacrifices" because they are acceptable to God.
Who Are You? A Holy Nation!
We are so blessed in this day and time to be citizens of such a nation as the United States. We enjoy such great freedoms and blessings that I would dare to say that none of us would trade our citizenship in the United States for that in any other country in the world. Yet as children of God, we have become citizens of something far greater than man could ever devise in a form of government. We have become as Peter describes a "holy nation" to God. (I Peter 2:9) This holy nation is the kingdom that Christ came to establish.
Prior to the coming of Christ, Israel was the nation of God's people that God had promised to Abraham. (Genesis 12:2) God described the Israelites as His "holy nation" if they would "obey His voice and keep His covenant". (Exodus 19:5-6) But the citizens of that nation, after so many prophesies had been spoken, ended up rejecting the promised Messiah. Christ then Himself proclaimed during His ministry, "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it." (Matthew 21:42-43) The prophet Micah foretold of this nation, that would be God's kingdom, saying that it would not be a physical kingdom or nation, nor would it be a nation of the superior, elite or mighty. (Micah 4:1-6) Rather God said; "I will make the lame a remnant, And the outcasts a strong nation, And the LORD will reign over them in Mount Zion From now on and forever." (Micah 4:7)
In contrast to the nations of men, this is to be a nation without borders or other geographical or physical characteristics. "Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.'" The citizens of this nation have, and continue to, come from all lands upon the face of the earth. John wrote in Revelation 5:9; "Worthy art Thou to take the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God." We indeed are a nation of pilgrims and sojourners who are scattered about amongst all the nations of the world, even as Peter describes in I Peter 1:1 and 2:11.
There is also a price to be paid for our citizenship. Without the blood of Christ, citizenship in this nation would not be possible. As it was just noted from Revelation 5:9, we were purchased by the blood of Christ. With the price of our citizenship come the responsibilities of citizenship. We bear the responsibility of remaining loyal. We are either for Christ or we are against Him. (Cf., Luke 11:23) We bear the responsibility of being faithful and devoted to our fellow citizens. Paul wrote in Romans 12:10 & 13; "Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality." We bear the responsibility to give of our means, voluntarily, cheerfully and liberally. This is not a nation that mandates taxes that must be paid, but rather teaches us to give "as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver." (II Corinthians 9:7) We also bear the responsibility to do the work God has for His nation to do; that is to evangelize, to edify and to meet the basic needs of its' citizens. We are not to burden God's holy nation with that which God has not charged it to do. (Cf., I Timothy 5:16; "let not the church be burdened")
As in all other nation's, God's holy nation does indeed have a government. Christ alone is the head of this holy nation and all things are in subjection to Him. Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:20-23 that Christ, having been raised from the dead, was now; "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church." As much as we enjoy the "democracy" we are blessed with in the human government of our nation, we must understand that God's nation is not subject to the vote of its' citizens or run on the basis of the popular majority. Within each congregation of God's people, God has spoken regarding how the local church is to be governed. Each congregation is to be composed of elders, deacons, and saints. (Philippians 1:1) The elders are to "rule", "lead", "shepherd" and "oversee" (I Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:17; I Peter 5:2; Acts 20:28). Deacons are to serve the needs of the congregation.
It is a true statement that all nations are to produce. We get concerned about our economy when the production of our nation declines. How much more are we to be concerned with the productivity of God's holy nation. Matthew 21:42-44 was referred to earlier where God's nation was to no longer be the Israelites but rather a nation "producing the fruit of it". Jesus spoke of this nation as a "vine" that must produce fruit; "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:4-5)
As was already stated, one can only become a citizen of this nation when the blood of Jesus washes us of our sins in the waters of baptism. (Cf., Romans 6:3-6; I Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 3:26-27) But it is our responsibility to maintain the sanctity and holiness of this nation. Paul spoke of this holiness we must strive to maintain in Ephesians 5:25-27; "just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her; that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless." This holiness is maintained one citizen at a time. "but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior." (I Peter 1:15) And at times, the church is called upon to maintain its' purity by "cleaning out the old leaven" when its' citizens engage in unrepentant sin. (I Corinthians chapter 5)
"And the LORD has today declared you to be His people, a treasured possession, as He promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments; and that He shall set you high above all nations which He has made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated people to the LORD your God, as He has spoken." (Deuteronomy 26:18-19) As Christians, we belong to a nation like none other. May we give our all to the nation that God gave his all for.